The present invention relates generally to a by-pass switch circuit for systems with Ethernet interfaces such as those compliant to Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 Specification, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a solid-state Ethernet by-pass switch circuit for systems with Ethernet interfaces.
Ethernet communications networks are well known in the art. The IEEE has set forth standards for Ethernet networks such as IEEE 802.11. Ethernet communications can occur over hard-wired or wireless local area networks (LANs) as well as wide area networks (WANs). In hardwired communications networks, the wiring is referred to as the “physical layer” and may include wire which is considered to be American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA)/Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) standard category-3 (CAT-3), category-5 (CAT-5), category-6 (CAT-6) and the like.
An Ethernet by-pass switch is required when an Ethernet device is not operable and must be by-passed to maintain communication between other devices on the network. An Ethernet by-pass switch presents design challenges in providing a rugged, high reliable mechanism to switch Ethernet signals from an input port to an output port in order to maintain the network connectivity.
It is desirable to provide a solid-state Ethernet by-pass switch. It is also desirable to provide a solid-state Ethernet by-pass switch that derives operational power from Ethernet signals without needing external power. Further, it is desirable for the Ethernet by-pass switch to be operational when there is no power from a host Ethernet device.